Style Weekly
Carol A.O. Wolf
Member since Apr 12, 2011
Recent Comments
Re: “Botched Play”
@Silver: Your site is a wonderful compendium of information. I hope everyone will bookmark it!
Meanwhile, I hope everyone will check out the link below and decide to hold the RPS School Board and administration accountable.
http://saveourschools-getrealrichmond.blog…
Re: “Class Clowns”
Imagine for a moment what a reasonable "parent" would do if their college student/child kept demanding for more ... and more .... and more ..... money without explaining how the money would improve the student's academic performance and all the while refusing to do anything to demonstrate a willingness to spend wisely. Now, imagine how it might feel if your child called a press conference and tried to make you look ridiculous and selfish because you dared to ask the child for some cooperation and accountability.
Re: “Class Clowns”
Mark,
Thank you for taking the time to read my BackPage opinion piece and for your comment. I don't know how you define "combative/confrontative" vs. "impassioned." I did not see, nor hear, either the School Supt. Yvonne Brandon or School Board Vice-Chair Maurice Henderson make an "impassioned" case for additional money for the students or teachers of Richmond Public Schools based on a desire to bring the schools to a higher level of performance. I did not hear them specifically suggest any innovative programs they intended to spend the money on that would enhance the educational opportunities afforded to our children. The money they were asking for was simply to maintain the status quo. While reasonable people can disagree on the details, one thing is certain: maintaining the status quo is not the answer. We need to ask parents who send their children to RPS -- as well as those who don’t -- how the system can become more responsive and relevant to their needs and expectations. Further, the plan must be informed and inspired by the best and brightest of our classroom teachers and principals.
We need a plan that will make real the promises of financial reform and accountability in order to achieve equity in our schools for ALL children. The citizens of Richmond need to hear from Brandon how she intends to emphasize academics and athletics, how she intends to integrate the arts and sciences. This plan must be relevant to the future employment needs of our children and enhance the economic potential of our region. Such a focused vision will do more to keep children in school than any sermon or political speech.
Instead of seeing school board members seize the opportunity to make the case to the citizens for a true reform of education in Richmond, I (and others) heard Henderson "dare" the Task Force to leave the school system alone. And, I heard Brandon suggest curtailing or outright cutting by half the city's participation in the Maggie L. Walker and Appomattox Regional Governor's School programs, the International Baccalaureate Programs and even to cut field trips (among other suggestions) as ways to fill the gaping $23.8 million hole in the schools' budget.
Zachary Reid of The Richmond Times-Dispatch and I both heard (and he reported on March 21, 2012) that: "Before Brandon suggested the cuts in the afternoon meeting, Henderson dared the task force to leave the school system alone. "I feel like I have to offer you some advice," he said after task force co-chairman James W. Dyke Jr. mentioned hiring a consulting firm to help make cuts. "Save your money." As he did during a Monday meeting when Henderson challenged the task force's purpose, Dyke calmly reminded him of why a group of local education and state budget management experts were assembled to find cuts to the school budget."
Now, some might find suggesting to cut popular programs an "impassioned" way for a school superintendent to make her point. I, however, see it as similar to the principal of a West Texas High School announcing at half-time during the Friday Night football game that this would be the last game of the season because the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors were cutting the budget and there would just not be enough money to fund the football team. Such a statement is designed to bring outraged parents to the phones and the forefront of the budget battle. When called out on this, Brandon and her board backed down and claimed they were only "responding" to the Task Force's questions of where cuts could come and how much could be saved. Nevermind, that neither Brandon nor her board members made any "impassioned" statement at the time concerning their utmost objection to making such cuts.
To be sure, I do not know where you grew up or on what playgrounds you skinned your knees. But, it was my experience that if a child "dared" another to leave something alone, that was a combative confrontation, not an impassioned plea to reason together. Richmond Magazine's reporter, Chris Dovi, also quoted board member Evette Wilson publicly ranting about how she thought the Mayor's State of the City Speech was "very insulting" and board member Chandra Smith saying that "the mayor can hold public hearings all he wants [....] this board is the only one that can go back in [the school board budget] and make final decisions [....] We're the final say. Let's use it as a tool."
I could go on and on here, but this should give you a taste of what I -- and others -- witnessed. "Impassioned," maybe. Combative and confrontative, for sure.
And, lastly, I thank Glen Allen (above) for drawing the distinction between news and opinion articles and I leave you with another quotation from Mark Twain: "The mere knowledge of a fact is pale; but when you come to realize your fact, it takes on color. It is all the difference between hearing of a man being stabbed to the heart, and seeing it done."
Re: “Class Clowns”
Mark,
Thank you for taking the time to read BackPage opinion piece and taking the time to comment. I don't know how you define "confrontative" vs. "impassioned." I did not see, nor hear, either the School Supt. Yvonne Brandon or School Board Vice-Chair Maurice Henderson make an "impassioned" case for additional money for the students or teachers of Richmond Public Schools based on a desire to bring the schools to a higher level of performance. I did not hear them specifically suggest any innovative programs they intended to spend the money on that would enhance the educational opportunities afforded to our children. The money they were asking for was simply to maintain the status quo. While reasonable people can disagree on the details, one thing is certain: maintaining the status quo is not the answer. We need to ask parents who send their children to RPS -- as well as those who don’t -- how the system can become more responsive and relevant to their needs and expectations. Further, the plan must be informed and inspired by the best and brightest of our classroom teachers and principals.
We need a plan that will make real the promises of financial reform and accountability in order to achieve equity in our schools for ALL children. The citizens of Richmond need to hear from Brandon how she intends to emphasize academics and athletics, how she intends to integrate the arts and sciences. This plan must be relevant to the future employment needs of our children and enhance the economic potential of our region. Such a focused vision will do more to keep children in school than any sermon or political speech.
Instead of seeing school board members seize the opportunity to make the case to the citizens for a true reform of education in Richmond, I (and others) heard Henderson "dare" the Task Force to leave the school system alone. And, I heard Brandon suggest curtailing or outright cutting by half the city's participation in the Maggie L. Walker and Appomattox Regional Governor's School programs, the International Baccalaureate Programs and even to cut field trips (among other suggestions) as ways to fill the gaping 23.8 million hole in the schools' budget.
Zachary Reid of The Richmond Times-Dispatch and I both heard (and he reported on March 21, 2012) that: "Before Brandon suggested the cuts in the afternoon meeting, Henderson dared the task force to leave the school system alone. "I feel like I have to offer you some advice," he said after task force co-chairman James W. Dyke Jr. mentioned hiring a consulting firm to help make cuts. "Save your money." As he did during a Monday meeting when Henderson challenged the task force's purpose, Dyke calmly reminded him of why a group of local education and state budget management experts were assembled to find cuts to the school budget."
Now, some might find suggesting to cut popular programs an "impassioned" way for a school superintendent to make her point. I, however, see it as similar to the principal of a West Texas High School announcing at half-time during the Friday Night football game that this would be the last game of the season because the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors were cutting the budget and there would just not be enough money to fund the football team. Such a statement is designed to bring outraged parents to the phones and the forefront of the budget battle. When called out on this, Brandon and her board backed down and claimed they were only "responding" to the Task Force's questions of where cuts could come and how much could be saved. Nevermind, that neither Brandon nor her board members made any "impassioned" statement at the time concerning their utmost objection to making such cuts.
To be sure, I do not know where you grew up or on what playgrounds you skinned your knees. But, it was my experience that if a child "dared" another to leave something alone, that was a confrontation, not an impassioned plea to reason together. Richmond Magazine's reporter, Chris Dovi, also quoted board member Evette Wilson publicly ranting about she thought the Mayor's State of the City Speech was "very insulting" and board member Chandra Smith saying that "the mayor can hold public hearings all he wants [....] this board is the only one that can go back in [the school board budget] and make final decisions [....] We're the final say. Let's use it as a tool."
I could go on and on here, but this should give you a taste of what I -- and others -- witnessed. "Impassioned," maybe. Confrontative, for sure.
And, lastly, I thank Glen Allen (above) for drawing the distinction between news and opinion articles and I leave you with another quotation from Mark Twain: "The mere knowledge of a fact is pale; but when you come to realize your fact, it takes on color. It is all the difference between hearing of a man being stabbed to the heart, and seeing it done."
Re: “Class Clowns”
For additional information and data analysis concerning RPS, please visit John Butcher’s website: The Cranky Taxpayer (http://crankytaxpayer.org/) and my blog: Save Our Schools (http://saveourschools-getrealrichmond.blog…)
Re: “Gray’s Area”
Kim Gray is the best member of the Richmond School Board and the only one who can be trusted to tell the truth. To see how dishonest and disingenuous School Board Chair Kim Bridges' remarks are in this article, read John Butcher's trenchant analysis of the U.Va. report reposted on my blog at http://saveourschoolsrva.blogspot.com/. You might also re-read the BackPage I wrote for Style Weekly in January to be reminded why we need Kim Gray on School Board -- now, more than ever. http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/overbo…
Other Publications
Re: “Unexcused”
Mr. Roden, I encourage you and all your neighbors to post your concerns here and send them to your elected officials on both School Board and City Council. In addition to the educational crimes against the children and the outright defiance of state law by City of Richmond officials, the citizens of Richmond are suffering from vandalism and B&E's borne of the city's neglect. Something has got to give.